On Tuesday – August 2, 2016 at 11 in the evening, Manila time – Korean Giant Samsung Mobile officially launched its 2016 flagship Android phablet, Samsung Galaxy Note7, which comes with absolute best features and technical specifications that the company has to offer in this mobile device category this year.

Being the latest version of one of the most celebrated Android smartphone lines currently, many details about this model have been heavily leaked by insiders and fans of the brand over the past few months. Many of these information turned out highly accurate.

To be specific, the phablet indeed turned out having 5.7-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED display panel that gently curves down either sides, a Dual Pixel 12 MegaPixel rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization just like Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, a 5 MP front cam for selfies with f/1.7 aperture, 4K video recorder, a Fingerprint Scanner that lets the user unlock the interface with but a touch of a finger, and 3,500 mAh battery pack that supports Fast Charging.

The same thing can be said of its internal hardware, which simply mirror that of some SGS7 and SGS7 Edge variants. At its heart, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 runs its TouchWiz flavored Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS with a beastly 64-bit Octa Core Exynos 8890 processor, handles multitasking with 4GB of RAM, and comes with 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded via the secondary hybrid nanoSIM slot.

SGNote7 is the first Galaxy handset to have a USB Type C port, which enables faster data syncing.

One of the key new features of Samsung Galaxy Note7 is its super fast Iris Scanner that lets the user unlock the handset in a blink of an eye, without even having to touch the display.

In terms of looks and construction, the downright gorgeous SGNote7 frankly looks almost identical to Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge – coming replete with two scratch resistant glass panels that sandwich a real metal mid-frame – albeit with a more curved back plate and greater heft giving a more tubular feel in the hand.

Also, this newest Note is now IP68 certified, which means that its body is not only dust-resistant but is also protected against water ingress when submerged in a meter of liquid for up to 30 minutes.

As in previous years, what makes Samsung Galaxy Note 7 particularly special compared to the smaller flagship Galaxy models released earlier this year is that it comes with an S Pen stylus that allows the users to write down notes or to draw sketches right on the phablet’s touchscreen. According to Samsung, the new S Pen features a smaller 0.7mm tip and better pressure sensitivity allowing for more creative use of the tool.

As Samsung continues to explore new categories to feed the growing fascination of consumers for innovative gadgets, the company makes sure that its current offerings can also work with their fresh devices. As such, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 can be paired with Gear 360 camera and Gear VR headset.

Samsung Galaxy Note7 will be available in the Philippines as a bundled handset with Smart Postpaid plans starting on August 20, 2016. Its official suggested retail price, on the other hand, is Php 39,990. SGNote7 is available in two colors, namely, Gold Platinum and Black Onyx. Stay tuned for updates!

Learn more about Samsung Galaxy Note7 by watching our quick review of the phablet: